In this post-covid landscape, it’s safe to say that much of the stigma around mental health isn’t quite how it used to be. That shift in the culture where a level of frankness now exists for many to openly discuss their struggles, is very much a positive step forward.

However, there still needs to be a robust and all-inclusive support network in place for those looking for help.

Earlier this year, research from Dulux Decorator Centre reported that 45% of painter and decorators experience some form of mental health problem.

That is far from an insignificant figure and proves that no industry is exempt from taking its toll on those who work within it.

While there are several recognised mental health charities out there to turn to for help, the immediacy and easy solidarity offered within industry-specific online communities is an increasingly appealing place for those experiencing a challenging time.

Hemel Hempstead-based painter and decorator Gary Proctor has seen his once fledgling Facebook group Brush Wizards – which is billed as offering ‘support in an often-isolating industry by sharing knowledge, product advice and camaraderie’ – grow to encompass a recently-launched app.

This new development is essentially an extension of what he does incredibly well on the social platform – namely offering across the board support for UK painter and decorators, with an emphasis on mental wellbeing in the industry.

Gary himself struggled with anxiety early on in his adult life. “What compounded it was working on my own as a painter and decorator. I tried to get help through different therapies, but nothing seemed to work. Someone recommended a cognitive therapist and within four or five sessions I was a changed man.”

This progress inspired Gary to train to become a hypnotherapist – largely for self-development – whilst still having one foot in the decorating game.

A good mix ratio

His time is now split 50/50 between both worlds, and he’s used his experience in therapy to help build his roster of industry support for the Brush Wizard network.

The training school in London where Gary studied hypnotherapy – which has now been established for over 20 years – has recently agreed to collaborate with Brush Wizards.

“This is very positive as it means there will be a large pool of experienced, quick solution-focused therapists available to cover a large number of related topics, such as the chat we did about suicide prevention/awareness earlier this autumn.”

A talk around gambling addiction – perhaps a less obvious subject, but one which is very much linked to wellbeing – is in the works, and all the previous chats are archived within the Brush Wizards app, which is free to join.

Gary recognised the need to reach out to others in the industry from his own experiences of running a business. “Being in the trades game and wearing many hats is difficult. Add to that having to deal with any issues outside of the job during work hours and trying to summon the self-motivation to get the job in hand done. After a while I thought I couldn’t be the only one who felt the way I was feeling.”

Painting yourself into a corner

Mike Cupit from Decorators Forum UK similarly talks about that need to be constantly on top of everything as a source of exhaustion.

“A decorator is required to do all the physical work themselves, stay on top of quoting, consultation, tool maintenance, planning the next job, etc. Then you get jobs for regular customers who you need to find time for, or feature walls you need to do around bigger jobs. Add to that people phoning you constantly asking you pop back to attend to issues they’ve found.”

Struggling to find a decent work/life balance is also a difficulty of the profession, as Mike points out.

“There’s no line between family time and work time either. That pressure is always there in the back of your head, and you’re always trying to work through problems, or worry about finding more time to get organised before your next day on the tools.”

There is no easy solution for any of these challenges. However, having the ability to easily chat with peers about the collective day-to-day struggles of the job is an obvious benefit in dealing with and compartmentalising them.

Online social support

Gary also wants the app to help address the deficit in communication between middle-aged colleagues. “As a younger guy, you’d head out to the pub with mates after work. When you get older, the responsibility and commitments mean you don’t get the opportunity to do much of that anymore. You can feel quite isolated because you’re not talking to anybody [in the trade].”

“A large part of mental health troubles in this industry is the sense of feeling overwhelmed which comes from being self-employed. I didn’t realise until I set up the group just how many painters don’t get paid.”

This particular issue seems to be a worrying trend of late. You don’t have to skim the feed of any industry-related Facebook group chat for long to discover an exasperated decorator, desperate for any advice on how to receive overdue payment from an unreasonable customer holding out on them.

Thankfully, some are now recognising how to (at least in part) negate this tricky problem by taking a deposit to secure a booking, but Gary acknowledges that all kinds of support like this is still important for painters, even those less obvious life obstacles.

“We’ve done a talk about teenage kids and how to deal with them for those in the trade who are at the age when issues at home can arise.”

“People post frequently in the group about problems and members are really respectful to anyone who posts, which is incredible. It’s nice to see that people feel comfortable with being able to open up and speak freely.”

The Brush Wizards app may still very much be in its infancy, but Gary hopes that the many companies who are promoting what he’s trying to do will recognise and extend that support to wellness via the app, so help and a reassuring chat is always within easy reach. As it should be.

You can sign up for Brush Wizards here.

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